Electric Eel – SeaWorld San Diego’s New Coaster!

Sean: A big reason for our journey down to SeaWorld San Diego last week was to experience the new Electric Eel roller coaster that the park opened in May! This Premier Rides Sky Rocket II coaster combines a bunch of spectacular coaster elements into a compact layout, making it the perfect ride for SeaWorld San Diego. This is by far the most thrilling attraction the park has ever opened and we think it’s a lovely fit. Let’s take a look!

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In this report we’ll take a close look at the park’s new coaster, and we’ll give a little review while we’re at it! One thing that was immediately noticeable, even before entering the park, is that the track colors beautifully work to blend in with the sky. From a distance it was even hard to spot the ride. From the parking lot it’s exciting to see a new addition towering over the park.

Electric Eel is the second phase of the Ocean Explorer expansion at the park. Last year we saw new aquariums, restaurants, Orca VR, and several new rides.

One of which (Submarine Quest) has been closed for a while, to be fair it was far from a good ride experience, so the follow up coaster is much more appreciated.

So let’s head over to the new coaster! Electric Eel is wedged between the part of Ocean Explorer and Journey to Atlantis, and it seems as if it was always meant to be there. It is a very nice fit.

The entrance to the ride is a tad simple, but very effective as it shows off the massiveness of Electric Eel compared to the other rides at the park. The coaster features on ride photos, and is a mandatory locker ride. Both lockers and photos are available at the exit of the ride, which is to the right of the entrance.

The marquee for the ride is beautiful! Hints of rock work and ocean inspired landscaping make up this ride’s queue.

A thing we’re seeing more frequently at SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment is queues with a lack of handrails or permanent shade structures. The same is true for Electric Eel that has a ocean floor/ coral landscaping, a lack of handrail and umbrellas that are opened accordingly when part of the queue is used.

A cool thing! The queue and exit feature benches. So I actually got to sit down in line for a little bit! The ride station is a tad simplistic, but fits in nicely with the rest of the area. The audio and custom videos in the station are awesome, and the park does a great job pushing out these trains. Great staff!

SeaWorld does a great job educating people on animals and rescue efforts, but the restraints on the particular 3-car SeaWorld installments of the Premier Rides Sky Rocket II require a bit of guest educating as well. Luckily SeaWorld has got your back and useful signs in the queue explain the purpose of the comfort collars.

The queue itself features several educating signs regarding the Electric Eel (animal). I actually had no clue that the electric eel is not an eel but actually a knifefish. I did not expect to be this surprised by the fun amount of fun facts located around the queue. Much like SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako, on the way to the station you can actually learn quite a bit!

Let’s talk about the ride itself for a bit! Most of our readers are likely familiar with this coaster clone in some way shape or form. SeaWorld San Diego’s sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened Tempesto in 2015. Both of these installs have 3-car trains and feature “comfort collars”. The ride’s lengthier ride vehicles help with capacity and diversify the ride experience a bit. The front of the train, arguably the best row, gives you incredible ejector air time at the top of the upward spiral, and the best view, the back car gives you a nice whip down the vertical drop. Both are great seats, but I prefer front row!

The triple launch is an effective way to get the train up to its maximum 62 MPH speed without the need of a long launch track, besides the backwards launch is quite powerful and one of my favorite parts of the ride. The fan favorite, and a personal favorite as well, is the ride’s signature move: The 150 feet tall Barrel Roll. The Barrel Roll is a particularly spectacular element on this installation as it is by far the tallest structure in the vicinity and offers great views.

After the Barrel Roll the ride features a 90 degree steep drop that rotates 180 degrees for an airtime filled quick drop that leads into a non-inverting loop. This element then returns the train to the station where it will gently slow down through use of its magnetic launch system to welcome the next 18 guests on board.

As we mentioned earlier, the colors of Electric Eel are just right. Midway through the day (if the sun is out, and the skies are clear) the ride blends into the sky so nicely. Not only is Electric Eel the perfect thrill for the park, it also seems to fit in very nicely without seeming obtrusive. A big win for the park, and the audience is loving it.

We are loving it too! The operations are sharp and though it was fairly busy at the park, the lines were never more than 30 minutes long. SeaWorld San Diego always offered a lot to see and do, but for the first time they offer a real thrill ride, something that will not go unnoticed. Come check out SeaWorld San Diego’s Electric Eel.

Thank you for reading this overview of Electric Eel! We’re currently preparing a detailed trip report from our time at the park! NOW LIVE is our Electric Ocean report, take look at SeaWorld’s Electric Ocean nighttime spectacular! We also just visited the sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg last week, a report of which will soon follow as well!

For now we advise you check out some of these recent new articles and updates:

2 Replies to “Electric Eel – SeaWorld San Diego’s New Coaster!”

while i love the queue and station design, i simply can’t wrap my head around why seaward would ruin such sharp looking buildings with crappy sea blotches on the walls, totally ruins the sleek design and makes it look like they hired a 4th grader to paint mini ocean murals